1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a headrest assembly including a headrest guide and/or a headrest insert for permitting the sliding movement of a vehicle headrest with minimal efforts.
2. Description of Related Art
Automobiles and other vehicles typically include headrests located on the seatbacks to support and/or brace the head and neck of the passenger. Headrests are generally adjustable to accommodate passengers of different heights and body types. An important factor in adjustability of the height of headrests are the efforts required to move the headrest between horizontal positions.
In general, headrests have support rods that are slideably adjustable within guides in the seat. If the guides or the support rods are misaligned, the efforts required to adjust the headrest significantly increase. Mori et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,094, and Collier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,928, are typical of the prior art wherein a rigid cross bar is positioned between support rods within the headrest.
Wallis, U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,658, and Koike, U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,634, are typical of the prior art having two separate holders or sleeves for accepting the support rods of the headrest. The separate holders or sleeves are generally positioned within supports welded on to the seat frame. Much of the variability in conventional headrest assemblies results from the variability in the welded supports on the seat frame.
The above described arrangements may result in misalignment of the support rods and/or the holders or sleeves for accepting the support rods. When such misalignment occurs, the headrest may become difficult to slide with respect to the seat because the centerlines of the support rods are not aligned with the centerlines of the channels of the holders or sleeves accepting the support rods.
Therefore, there is a need for one or more individual components within a headrest assembly that permit self-adjusting and/or aligned sliding engagement between headrest rods and the guides for accepting the headrest rods.
A headrest assembly according to a preferred embodiment of this invention contains one or both of a headrest insert and a headrest guide. Headrest rods preferably extend between the headrest insert and the headrest guide.
The headrest insert preferably includes two receivers for accommodating the headrest rods. Each headrest rod includes a fixed end positioned within one receiver and an opposite, moveable end slideably connected with respect to the seat, such as within the headrest guide.
The two receivers on the headrest insert are independently moveable with respect to each other thereby permitting each headrest rod to find its own center when slideably engaged with respect to the seat. The headrest insert may comprise a taper, an irregular surface, a reduced thickness, a joint and/or a central transition to facilitate flexibility about a central area thereby permitting limited independent movement of the two receivers with respect to one another.
A headrest guide for accepting two headrest rods may also be used in connection with the headrest assembly of this invention. The headrest guide comprises two sleeves, each forming a central channel. A plurality of rigid struts preferably extend between the two sleeves so that centerlines of each channel are parallel with respect to one another. As a result of the struts extending between the sleeves, both sleeves should always be aligned with respect to one another.
It is one object of this invention to provide a headrest assembly wherein the headrest rods are independently moveable for sliding engagement with misaligned headrest guides.
It is another object of this invention to provide a headrest assembly wherein the headrest guides are connected with respect to each other to prevent misalignment of the headrest guides relative to one another.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a headrest having an internal headrest insert that permits movement between opposite ends of the headrest insert.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a headrest assembly that permits sliding movement of the headrest rods with respect to the headrest guides with minimal efforts.